The processing facilities such as one described above are facilities for sequentially performing processes of a plurality of different steps, such as a cleaning step, a drying step, and an etching step, for example, on semiconductor substrates. As the plurality of processing devices, two or more kinds of processing devices which perform processes of different steps on the processing target objects are commonly provided, with each kind including a number of processing devices.
For example, in the case of a processing facility in which processes are performed on semiconductor substrates, the semiconductor containers for storing a plurality of semiconductor substrates are the processing target objects. More specifically, a processing device for processing semiconductor substrates takes out, or carries out, semiconductor substrates one after another from a semiconductor container to process them, and stores the processed semiconductor substrates one after another in the semiconductor container.
And in this processing facility, each processing target object is sequentially transported by a transport vehicle to a plurality of processing devices which perform different steps.
More specifically, when there is no processing target object, for example, at the start of a processing operation or immediately after a processing target object has been carried out, the processing device transmits, as process advancement information, carry-in request information for a processing target object to primary managing means.
When the primary managing means receives carry-in request information, it selects a processing target object to be carried in to the processing device that transmitted the carry-in request information. The selection of the processing target object is often done from among the processing target objects that are stored in a storage device. And when a processing target object that is stored in the storage device is selected, the primary managing means commands the storage device to carry out the pertinent processing target object.
Upon selecting a processing target object, the primary managing means: generates transport command information in which the location from which the processing target object is received is designated as the transport origin, and in which the processing device that transmitted the carry-in request information for the processing target object is designated as the transport destination; and transmits the transport command information to transport managing means.
Upon receiving the transport command information, the transport managing means controls traveling of a transport vehicle in order to transport the processing target object, that is located at the transport origin, to the processing device of the transport destination. That is, the transport vehicle is caused to travel to the location at which the transport vehicle receives the processing target object, and to receive the processing target object. Then, the transport vehicle is caused to travel to the processing device that is designated as the transport destination, and to unload, or deliver, the processing target object to the processing device that is designated as the transport destination.
Generally, two or more transport vehicles are provided. And a transport vehicle that is not currently performing any operation is selected as the transport vehicle for transporting a processing target object.
And a processing device commonly transmits, as process advancement information, progress information about the process performed on the processing target object that is being processed, to the primary managing means. And when the process performed on the processing target object is completed, the processing device transmits, as process progress information, carry-out request information for the processing target object, to the primary managing means.
Upon receiving the carry-out request information, the primary managing means: generates transport command information in which the processing device which transmitted the carry-out request information is designated as the transport origin, and in which the location, to which the processing target object that came from the processing device should be transported, is designated as the transport destination; and transmits the transport command information to the transport managing means.
When designating the transport destination as the location to which the processing target object that has been carried out from the processing device should be transported, the primary managing means designates an appropriate location as the location to which the processing target object should be transported after: checking for what step is the next step to be performed on the transported processing target object, based on the progress information about the plurality of processing steps for the processing target object; checking the present processing status of the plurality of processing devices; and checking the storage status of the storage device for the processing target objects; and while taking into consideration such factor as improving operating efficiency of the plurality of processing devices.
In actual operations, a storage device may often be designated as the location to which a processing target object should be transported; however, there are cases where a location other than a storage device is designated as the location to which a processing target object should be transported.
For example, if carry-in request information is transmitted from another processing device to the primary managing means during or immediately before generation of transport command information, and if this processing device is a device that performs the step to be performed next on the processing target object, then, this processing device may be designated as the location to which the processing target object should be transported.
Also, as another example in which a location, other than a storage device, is designated as the location to which the processing target object should be transported, if a temporary storage for a processing target object is provided for a processing device, the temporary storage for the processing device may be designated as the location to which the processing target object should be transported, even if the processing device that is designated to perform the next step is currently processing.
In generating transport command information, designating another processing device as the location to which the processing target object should be transported corresponds to carrying in the processing target object to the processing device that transmitted the carry-in request information described above.
Also, if a temporary storage for a processing target object is provided for a processing device, and if there is a processing target object in the temporary storage for the processing device when selecting the processing target object that is to be carried in to the processing device that transmitted the carry-in request information described above, then that processing target object is preferentially selected over others.
In other words, as described above, although a processing target object stored in a storage device is often carried in to the processing device that transmitted the carry-in request information, a processing target object from another processing device or a temporary storage may be carried in to the processing device.
Once the primary managing means designates the transport destination which is the location to which a processing target object should be transported, primary managing means: generates transport command information in which the processing device from which the processing target object is received is designated as the transport origin, and in which the location to which the processing target object should be transported is designated as the transport destination; and transmits the transport command information to the transport managing means.
In such conventional processing facility, when the transport command information which is generated based on carry-out request information from a processing device is transmitted from the primary managing means, the transport managing means is configured to start a travel control of a transport vehicle in order to transport the processing target object at the processing device that transmitted the carry-out request information.
In other words, conventionally, when the transport managing means receives the transport command information from the primary managing means, the transport managing means is configured to: start a travel control of a transport vehicle; cause the transport vehicle to travel to the processing device of the transport origin from which a processing target object is received, and to receive the processing target object; then cause the transport vehicle to travel to the location to which the processing target object should be transported and to deliver the processing target object. (See, for example, Patent Document 1.)
In the processing facility of Patent Document 1, the host computer corresponds to the primary managing means, the stocker corresponds to the storage device, and the transport device corresponds to the transport managing means and the transport vehicle. In addition, the process ready signal corresponds to the carry-in request information, and the process complete report signal corresponds to the carry-out request information.
In the processing facility of Patent Document 1, because the transport managing means starts the travel control of the transport vehicle when the transport command information generated based on the carry-out request information is transmitted from the primary managing means, there was a possibility that the processing device that transmitted the carry-out request information had to wait for a long time for the arrival of the transport vehicle after completing the process performed on the processing target object.
More specifically, when the carry-out request information which functions as process advancement information is transmitted from the processing device to the primary managing means, the primary managing means: generates transport command information in which the processing device that transmitted the carry-out request information is designated as the transport origin, and in which the location to which the processing target object should be transported is designated as the transport destination; and transmits the transport command information to the transport managing means. When designating the transport destination as the location to which the processing target object that has been carried out from the processing device should be transported, the primary managing means designates an appropriate location as the location to which the processing target object should be transported after: checking for what step is the next step to be performed on the transported processing target object, based on the progress information about the plurality of processing steps for the processing target object; checking the present processing status of the plurality of processing devices; and checking the storage status of the storage device for the processing target objects; and while taking into consideration such factor as improving operating efficiency of the plurality of processing devices. Thus, it requires a very long time (for example, 30 to 60 seconds) to generate transport command information based on the transport request information.
Therefore, the amount of time required for a transport vehicle to reach the processing device that transmitted the carry-out request information is the sum of the time required for the primary managing means to generate the transport command information and the time required for the transport vehicle to travel from the current position to the processing device that transmitted the carry-out request information. Thus, there was a possibility that the processing device that transmitted the carry-out request information had to wait for a long time for the arrival of a transport vehicle after completing the process performed on the processing target object, making it difficult to improve the processing efficiency of the facility.
An example of a conventional facility in which such problem for processing facilities is solved is one in which, when the process currently being performed on the processing target object is about to be completed, the processing device is configured to transmit completion advance notice signal, which indicates when the process will be completed, to a progress managing computer which functions as the primary managing means. In this configuration, when the progress managing computer receives the completion advance notice signal, the progress managing computer: generates transport command information in which the processing device which transmitted the completion advance notice signal is designated as the transport origin, and in which the location to which the processing target object, that is in the processing device, should be transported is designated as the transport destination; and transmits the transport command information to the automated transport vehicle controller that functions as transport managing means. (See, for example, Patent Document 2.)